Misinterpretations
by Destiny Kitty
Summary: What should Sora do when he’s told that his best friend Riku could be in love with him? quazislash, AU


Disclaimer: seeing as there are how many hundreds of fanfiction stories about these kids, do you think I own them? Riku and Sora belong to Squaresoft / Square-Enix.

Warning: un-slash – almost slash but it's not really there…

Note: This is my first story to be published! I've been off the wall since last weekend, and I think that's why I wrote something so uncharacteristically light (well, it's meant to be lighthearted). Hope you enjoy it

**Misinterpretations**

Sora had been shocked when a number of girls turned to him on the bus home after school one Friday and began asking questions about his best friend, Riku. At first he assumed that, since they were now in the fall of eighth grade and Riku had moved on to his first year of high school, they were just interested in that dating-game thing girls did. But then, nodding sagely when Sora confirmed that he saw Riku almost every day, the girls told him they thought Riku liked him.

This confused him as well. If Riku didn't like me, why would he spend his free time with me, he had asked. But, giggling, they had elaborated – they told him that Riku was probably in love with him. After all, his classmates reasoned, the wildly attractive (their expression) older boy did not date, despite the many willing and hopeful candidates for the position at his side, but he did spend a whole lot of time with Sora. Sora had angrily responded that it was because they were best friends and he didn't believe Riku was in love with him, but the thought had stuck like a burr. What if they were right? What if Riku thought there was more to their playful tussles and the many hours they spent together?

This idea had never entered his mind before. Sure, Riku had been involved in many adventures and troubles with Sora when they were growing up. Sure, Riku had a special smile he shared with Sora. Sure, the boys told each other everything, and were almost constant companions. That was all true, but could Riku really be in love with him?

Sora looked out the window worriedly. The more he thought about what the girls had said, the more it bothered him. They still sat just a few rows in front of him on the bus, glancing back every now and again to see what he was doing, how he was reacting to their revelation.

He wasn't quite sure how he felt himself. At first, he tried to dismiss the accusations as ridiculous, but as their case had been spread out in front of him, he found himself unable to ignore it. He briefly felt mad at Riku for causing him this distress – couldn't the older boy have done something that would keep people from wondering things like this? Then he grew angry at himself for being so confused and taken aback, and for blaming the boy who was practically his brother.

He was on his way to Riku's house to spend the night. They nearly always met up at one or the other's homes after school, especially on weekends, to wile away the time with one-on-one sports, video games, walking or biking trips around town and other things to do. But this changed things; Sora knew he wouldn't feel comfortable around Riku until he found out the truth, but he wasn't sure he even wanted to know the truth in the first place. This was the kind of situation that could ruin their friendship, and he certainly didn't want to loose his closest friend.

He sighed as he shuffled down the sidewalk from the bus stop. The high school was within walking distance of their neighborhood; since Sora still had to ride the bus back, Riku generally made it back home before he did.

Sora stopped, staring at the door to his friend's house, then set his jaw and climbed the outside steps. They were best friends, he reminded himself yet again. Riku at least deserved the chance to defend himself. And if those darned girls had been right…Sora would just have to decide what to do afterwards.

He pushed the front door open and threw his backpack in a corner of the entryway. This had been his second home for years now, for all the time he spent here; neither of the boys bothered knocking when they visited anymore. In socked feet the thirteen-year-old stumbled inattentively through the front hall and up the stairs to Riku's room.

Riku was there inside, the door to the hall open so Sora could see him laying on the floor on his back, holding a book over his head so he could read comfortably. He flicked it aside and smiled a greeting as Sora entered the room, looking at him upside-down from the blue carpeted floor that made his aqua eyes almost glow.

Sora didn't smile back, and Riku immediately rolled over to look at him right side up. "What's wrong?" he asked, silvery brows knitting together under his soft silver bangs.

Sora didn't know what to say at first. I just can't do this to my oldest and dearest friend, he thought wildly. But he already knows I'm worried about something, and I won't be able to calm down until I know the truth. Sora's ocean blue eyes stared unseeingly out the window across from him as he contemplated what to say.

"Some…girls in my class…they said…" his voice started uncertainly.

Riku waited patiently, still scrutinizing Sora from the floor where he lay.

Sora glanced down to find blazingly bright blue-green eyes fixed on his, and couldn't restrain his worries anymore. He closed his own eyes so he didn't have to watch as he hurt his best friend by explaining the problem. "They said that we spend all this time together, and neither of us date, and we act like no one else matters, and that you never look at any of them and you didn't last year either when you were still in our school, you only paid attention to me as though you love me!"

He spoke the whole thing very fast, to get it over with as quickly as possible. Now he reopened his dark blue eyes, faltering on. "And I want…to know…the truth."

Riku looked up at him, now expressionless. The concern had weakened as Sora poured out those accusations, but his joking smile had not returned as Sora hoped it would. Oh no, what if the girls were right? What have I done?

Sora turned heel and was about to leave when Riku's hand closed on his ankle. The older boy tugged, and Sora toppled ungracefully to the floor, letting out a short gasp of surprise which reawakened Riku's grin. The two boys wrestled briefly until Riku pinned Sora flat on his back on the thick blue rug with his hands caught on either side of his spiky brown head.

Both boys were breathing slightly unevenly now, and stared at each other for a moment. Sora was suddenly very aware of his body, trapped with his hips between Riku's knees and the taller boy's chest suspended only a foot above his own by the hands which held his wrists next to his face. He gazed into the older boy's crystalline aqua eyes, for the first time in his life afraid of what his friend might do.

Riku was leaning close, his face over Sora's, the tips of his silvery locks almost brushing Sora's skin. His voice was deep and tender as he murmured, "Of course I love you."

Sora's eyes widened, but Riku didn't stop there. Bending down further, he did something Sora never would have thought possible: he kissed him.

The kiss was soft, gentle and caressing, but it brought Sora even nearer to panic. His eyes widened beyond bulging as Riku let go of his lips, opening his eyes to gaze down at his younger friend. Sora's mouth had fallen open, his eyes looked about ready to pop; he didn't move as Riku released one of his wrists to brush chocolate tresses away from one of his ears, leaning closer to whisper –

"Fooled you."

Riku sat up, grinning as wide as he ever did when he had just pulled a huge joke on Sora. Grinning like the time he had convinced Sora that his next-door neighbor's house was his but repainted, or that they were really brothers, or that the prettiest girl in his year wanted to go out with him, or that aliens actually existed. At Sora's continued astonishment, he started laughing.

The merry, familiar laugh finally brought Sora out of his shocked silence, and he swung a freed hand up at his friend, hoping to clobber him in the head. Riku caught his fist and laughed harder, so that Sora was able to twist sideways and shove the older boy off himself. Riku continued to shake with mirth as he lay on his side, Sora trying to do some damage for the embarrassing affront but unable in his relief to actually cause harm to his now-restored best friend. Finally, he was able to laugh as well.

It took them a full twenty minutes to calm down enough that they could look at each other without Riku laughing again and Sora wanting to slug him. They climbed up off the floor, Riku holding a stitch in his side and Sora grimacing and trying to straighten his tee-shirt.

"What was that about?" Sora demanded.

"I'm sorry, mate; I couldn't resist. Seeing you act so serious is too funny." He walked toward the stairs.

Sora glared at him menacingly, but followed the fourteen-year-old toward the kitchen.

"Listen, I've already told you I like girls; I just haven't found the right one yet. Who are you going to believe, you're best friend, or a bunch of jilted sissies?"

"You freaked me out!"

"You should have seen your face," Riku grinned, pushing Sora with his elbow.

"It's not funny!" Sora almost yelled, as Riku collapsed into a chair, shoulders shaking again.

"Of course it is, your face usually is," he responded, looking up at Sora. "But I wasn't lying. I do love you, like a little brother."

Sora looked at him skeptically, not sure if he wanted to deal with this opinion either.

"Come on. We're best friends, not lovers. I'd like it to stay that way."

"Good," Sora responded flatly.

"Calm down. I won't kiss you again," Riku said, standing again to look down on him.

Sora relaxed visibly, and Riku immediately had a muscular arm around his neck, grinding his knuckles into Sora's chocolate-colored hair affectionately. "Are you still staying over tonight?"

"Not if you keep assaulting me!" Sora yelled again, though somewhat half-heartedly.

"Excellent."

After a snack, they spent the rest of the afternoon kicking a soccer ball around the yard; Sora had refused to play football or any other game that could allow tackling. He continued to vent his embarrassment about Riku's kiss, but mostly he was happy to comfortably share time with his best friend, trying after dinner to beat him at an old war-based video game which both boys were exceptionally well-practiced at playing.

Neither of them mentioned the afternoon's outlandish event again, until they were ready for bed and Sora already felt half asleep. Riku turned to him as he was about to turn off his bedroom light and said, "Hey, Sora, know something?"

"Hm?" the younger boy responded sleepily.

"I stole your first kiss."

Riku's rich laugh again filled the room as a seething, crimson-faced Sora launched himself through the air in an attempt to beat him up, and it was a long time before they had settled down enough to sleep.

---------------------------------FIN-----------------------------------

Ha! So no, it's not actually slash. evil grin How many of you had your hopes up? Come on, be honest. Ever heard of brotherly love?

This scene just came to me like this, so I had to write it down. It's meant to be funny, so I hope it turned out that way.

I suspect that my characterization is no good, but I can't tell (opinions?...). If you find grammatical issues, I'd love to know what they are. Also, I'd love reviews – I want to know what you think of my writing style, story development, etc., and just what you think! (those are the type of reviews I always write)! As my hippie friends say, Peace!


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